Anuradhapura weather in May

In May, Anuradhapura sees average daytime highs of 33°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 87 mm of rain across 15.7 wet days and about 12.4 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 33°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in May, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of May to 12 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Anuradhapura's 5th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Anuradhapura's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
25°
11th coldest
Rainfall
87 mm
15.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 24 min
5:53 AM – 6:16 PM
Cloud cover
75%
5th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.54 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.1
out of 10

Anuradhapura is city in North Central Province, Sri Lanka.

Density
8/km²
people per km²
Founded
~450 BCE

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 33°C through the month.

A typical May day in Anuradhapura reaches about 33°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°C and 34°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and on par with June.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13325
23325
33325
43325
53325
63325
73325
83325
93325
103325
113325
123325
133325
143325
153325
163225
173225
183225
193225
203225
213225
223226
233226
243226
253226
263226
273226
283226
293225
303225
313225

How May really feels in Anuradhapura

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 31 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
31
19 feel dangerously hot (≥ 39°C)
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Anuradhapura weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 3rd-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 22°731111.65.4
Feb30° / 22°508.111.75.0
Mar33° / 23°498.711.93.7
Apr33° / 25°12217.312.22.7
May33° / 25°8715.712.43.1
Jun32° / 25°3911.712.53.6
Jul32° / 25°4311.112.43.5
Aug32° / 25°5612.412.33.4
Sep32° / 25°7415123.2
Oct31° / 24°19921.511.83.1
Nov30° / 23°23423.111.63.5
Dec29° / 22°16317.711.54.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 72%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23664
33664
43565
53466
63466
73367
83367
93268
103169
113169
123070
133070
142971
152872
162773
172773
182674
192575
202476
212476
222476
232377
242377
252377
262476
272377
282377
292377
302278
312278

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Anuradhapura gets around 87 mm of rain over 15.7 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 51% and peaks near 60% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
160
260
360
459
559
658
757
857
956
1055
1154
1253
1352
1451
1551
1650
1749
1849
1948
2047
2147
2246
2346
2445
2545
2645
2745
2845
2945
3045
3145

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels miserable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the miserable band about 59% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
13763
23664
33565
43565
53466
63466
73466
83565
93565
103664
113664
123763
133763
143862
153862
163961
174060
184060
194159
204258
214357
224456
234555
244654
254852
264951
275050
285149
295347
305446
315644

Wind in May

Winds average 16 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. Calmer and breezier days trade off through the month.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
312calm
412light breeze
512light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2619light breeze
2719light breeze
2819light breeze
2920light breeze
3020light breeze
3120light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of May to 12 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:57 AM to 5:52 AM, and sunset from 6:14 PM to 6:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:576:14
212.35:576:14
312.35:566:14
412.35:566:14
512.35:566:15
612.35:556:15
712.35:556:15
812.35:556:15
912.35:556:15
1012.35:546:15
1112.45:546:15
1212.45:546:15
1312.45:546:15
1412.45:546:16
1512.45:536:16
1612.45:536:16
1712.45:536:16
1812.45:536:16
1912.45:536:16
2012.45:536:17
2112.45:536:17
2212.45:536:17
2312.45:536:17
2412.45:526:17
2512.45:526:18
2612.45:526:18
2712.45:526:18
2812.45:526:18
2912.45:526:19
3012.45:526:19
3112.45:526:19

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.54 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.8 kWh/m² to a high of 6.2 kWh/m² in March across the year — May's 5.54 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Anuradhapura

In seasonPeak

In May, Anuradhapura sits inside its cyclone season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Anuradhapura sits in the North Indian Ocean cyclone zone; the season peaks May and October–November.

Anuradhapura's rainy season runs October–December, when most of the year's rain falls.

Cyclone
Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Anuradhapura?

Our two travel scores rate May for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

3.1
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
5.3
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Anuradhapura.

What to pack for Anuradhapura in May

From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In May, Anuradhapura sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 16 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Anuradhapura in May

The nearest coast averages about 30°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 69 km away) is warmest in April at about 30°C and coldest in January near 27°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb28Warm
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul28Tropical
Aug28Warm
Sep28Tropical
Oct28Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Warm

UV index in Anuradhapura in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Anuradhapura peaks around April 22 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 9 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highApr 22UV 13Dec 21UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Very high
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Anuradhapura in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Anuradhapura is worst in April — around 31 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.6× the cleanest month (July, 19 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateApr 1830 µg/m³Jul 2319 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan23Moderate
Feb22Moderate
Mar27Moderate
Apr31Moderate
May28Moderate
Jun20Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep20Moderate
Oct26Moderate
Nov27Moderate
Dec24Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Anuradhapura?

Anuradhapura sits at 8.3°N, 80.4°E, 100 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Vavuniya, 50 km away.

VavuniyaSigiriyaDambullaPuttalamPolonnaruwaKurunegalaTrincomaleeMannar

Topography around Anuradhapura

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Anuradhapura.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Anuradhapura has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 35 m around an average of 91 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 317 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,165 m.

The land around Anuradhapura is covered by trees (60%) within 3 km, trees (59%) and grassland (20%) within 16 km, and trees (70%) within 80 km.

3 km
35 m
16 km
317 m
80 km
1,165 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Vavuniya 50 km · Sigiriya 55 km · Dambulla 57 km · Puttalam 71 km · Polonnaruwa 77 km · Kurunegala 92 km · Trincomalee 94 km · Mannar 96 km

Sri Lanka travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 27% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,002
2025
Happiness
4.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
47%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
3.3
per 100k, 2019
Road deaths
19.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 486
Religion
Buddhist 70%Hindu 13%Muslim 10%Roman Catholic 6%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Anuradhapura (8.3122°, 80.4131°, elevation 100 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).